


217 Hours

by peppermintpotts



Category: Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Captivity, Drugged Sex, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Kidnapping, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Original Character(s), Serial Killers, Sexual Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:28:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27412741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peppermintpotts/pseuds/peppermintpotts
Summary: The Intelligence Unit faces one of their most dangerous adversaries yet when one of their own goes missing.
Relationships: Jay Halstead & Erin Lindsay
Comments: 31
Kudos: 83





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story will include heavy discussions surrounding the ritualistic sexually violent nature of serial killers. Nothing is handled in an over-the-top manner or in too graphic detail but I felt it important that people know the subject matter is dark.

Floating somewhere between restless sleep and unwanted wakefulness, the first thing that came back to Jay was the pain. It started in his wrists and ankles, radiating up his arms and legs; his mind randomly went to sleep paralysis but that didn’t make any sense. That was never a problem before.

_I don’t want to see you in here until at least Tuesday, Halstead!_

He remembered Voight ordering him to take some vacation days after court. He remembered stopping at the supermarket before heading up to his apartment. He remembered the shower he took to wash the day away and he remembered getting into bed…

…then he remembered the creak of the floorboards, the gun in his face, the knife pressed against his throat and that smiling face…

A loud thump near his head startled Jay into alertness.

“That’s it. Let me see those pretty blue eyes.”

The pain came back in full now, radiating from where the cuffs bit into his skin. His right cheek still throbbed from the punch that knocked him unconscious and the left cheek from where his face hit the floor when his chair tipped over. His captor was clearly not interested in being gentle.

The world jerked upright quickly as Berger brought him back to a sitting position. He smiled, cupping Jay’s burning cheek softly. “I’m so glad you’re awake, I don’t like to be bored.” Berger did a few tricks with the knife in his hand. Jay's eyes ventured to the snowfall outside his window, probably making for a picturesque view, anything to the distract from the hell he was currently in. He was still in his apartment, but he couldn’t tell how long he’d been here.

Unconsciousness tugged at Jay again, but Berger would not allow that. He slapped Jay once and then again. “Don’t go out on me, Detective Halstead. We have so much more to do.”

_ _ _

**_Two Days Earlier/_ ** **_Thursday February 5 th_ **

Edward Berger smiled over his shoulder at Sergeant Hank Voight when the judge handed him the latest get out of jail free card. Over the years he had become good at slipping through the cracks of a system that would never stop a man like him. Voight and Detective Antonio Dawson sat stone-faced as the judge reprimanded them and ASA Sabrina Adams for their lack of a case. They could know he was guilty; they could feel it all they wanted but they couldn’t prove it.

“There has to be a way to keep that animal locked up until we can gather more evidence” Antonio muttered as Adams gathered her briefcase. She’s pissed, the anger radiates off her in waves. She turns to the two men, her eyes apologetic but still angry.

“With what? The evidence was minimal, and our victim died from an infection. We don’t have a case anymore.”

“Valerie Fulton and Evan Waters died because of the injuries Berger gave them and what he did to them after.” Voight doesn’t care if Berger hears him. The parties head out of the courthouse and into the wintery misery.

Erin and Jay are just walking up the steps to join them outside the courthouse. They all know they are watching what is most definitely a victory lap as Berger shakes hands with his lawyer “Someone is enjoying himself.” Erin sneers

“He should be rotting in a jail cell.” Jay adds, folding his arms to block off a blustery wind.

Adams puts a calming hand on chest “I agree, Jay. You did good with what he gave you but all that we have is circumstantial. We might be able to connect it but I doubt the jury would buy it and his lawyer would never let it reach the court. I want justice for all his victims. We’ll have to find another way.”

“I looked him in the eye and he all but confessed’ We know he did these murders.”

“I don’t disagree, Detective. But this case can’t be based on how I feel, it’s has to be about what I can prove.”

Berger walks over to them smiling and basking in his win. “Maybe next time you’ll do better.”

Jay wedges himself between them when Antonio surges forward “He’s not worth it.”

Berger’s smiles his eyes moving over Jay’s face and head tips to the side. “I’m sorry you missed the show, Detective Halstead. I’m even more sorry that we won’t be able to have more of our little chats.”

“I’ll be watching you.” Voight says

“I look forward to our next game.” Berger leaves with another smile and a wink.

**_Tuesday, February 10th_ **

Erin finishes her coffee just as she arrives in the bullpen. She’s not surprised to see some of her coworkers hard at work. She never considered herself a morning person. A scalding hot shower and a cup of coffee could get her going but she chalked up her hatred of sun rays before at least 10am to how she grew up. The Voight family had been early risers but that was never the habit she quite adapted to.

“He’s an animal. I’m just sad some poor soul might have to suffer before we can put this guy away.” Antonio says to Kevin as both go over the murder board. “The thought of him being on the street makes my blood boil. I don’t even want to think about the possibility of him hurting someone else.” Antonio sounds as exhausted as she feels

“He’s cocky, bound to slip up.” Erin added

“That’s the part that gets me. He is not as meticulous as most serial killers in what he does. If anything, he’s sloppy because he needs us to know he did this but he’s smart enough to cover his tracks. He just does what he does and has been for years. There are a few open cases that fit his pattern, but we can’t place him. In this case it’s the system that just isn’t able to hold him.”

Voight joins them a few minutes later. “Where are we with Berger?”

“Nowhere as of yet.”

“Back to square one, we break it all down and build it up again, maybe there’s something we missed.” He turns to Erin “You and Halstead, go back over the interviews he did with Berger, there has to be something.”

“Jay isn’t in yet?”

“He supposed to be back today. Call him and find out where he is?”

Erin, Antonio and Kevin share a look. Erin realized that she never called to see if Jay made it back to the city. She had intended to but then she got caught up doing other things. She had an uneasy feeling in her gut that it would cost her. She pulls out her phone, but the line goes straight to voicemail.

“Is he back from Wisconsin?” Voight presses

Olinsky and Adam stop short when they step into a room of confused looks. “What did we miss?”

“Have you spoken to Jay at all?”

“He is on a mini vacation. Leave the kid alone.” Olinsky says

“Yeah, but we haven’t heard from him since Friday and neither has anyone else.”

Voight is already grabbing his coat “We roll out to Halstead’s apartment.”

“And if he just enjoying a little personal time without distractions, what do we do with that?” Erin says grabbing her own coat

“Fair enough. You can tell him we’re worrywarts and he’ll complain that we are treating him like a baby, and all will go back to normal.” Kevin says

“Sure, make me the fun police.” Erin snaps back.

As they all head down to their cars, Al grabs Hank by the arm “My gut says we’re about to walk into something we’re not going to like.”

“Your gut has never been wrong but maybe today will be the day.”

Fifteen minutes later Voight is thinking hard about his own gut. He and Al lock eyes as they stand in the center the overturned remnants of Jay’s apartment. Voight moves through the apartment to Jay’s bedroom; it’s definitely something straight out of his worst fears and all too familiar. It’s a replica of the crime scene photos he spent months looking at over and over.

It was Berger. If any of them were in denial the pictures taped to the wall, showing Jay in various stages of distress, chased away all doubt. Voight pulled out his phone “5021 Squad; I need crime scene techs at 501 West Burlance Road, Apartment 503. The apartment of Detective Jay Halstead is an active crime scene, and an officer has been abducted.”

“Not Jay.” The whisper slipped out without Erin meaning it to. _Jay’s missing. The scene in his apartment fits Edward Berger 's pattern_

Voight sees the guilt creep into Erin’s face. He takes her hand and gives it a quick squeeze “This isn’t on you.”

Erin shakes her head “I was supposed to call and make sure he got back okay.” She pulled her hand away as several grotesque images popped into her head. _He has Jay and the things he’ll do..._ Erin swallowed hard on that last part. She thought about the files on Berger’s victims, the ones they knew of and the ones they suspected. She knew the way they suffered, what he’d done to them, how towards the end they would have begged to die. Thinking of Jay experiencing any of that made her stomach lurch.

“This is definitely Berger’s work. The pictures, the homemade torture instruments, the cigarette butts, the wire hangers he contorts into brands. There’s blood spotted all over the place, no doubt it will match Detective Halstead” Al surveys

Voight keeps his voice low as he talks to the uniforms on scene. He keeps an eye on Erin from across the room, she may look as stoic but being having known her and knowing how close partners can be, he can see the glimmer of panic in her eyes. Jay is a more than competent and one of the most exceptional cops but nothing on the job really prepares them for serial killer much less being held captive by one. He could see the way Erin studied the photos, with the same intensity and focus, only the dynamics changed when the victim hit this close to home.

Olinsky's voice cuts through his thoughts as he speaks to the crime scene tech “Was there any significant blood found? Like enough that maybe he might be…?” Al can’t finish the question 

“We’ve gone over the apartment but there wasn’t any blood splatter significant enough to suggest Detective Halstead isn’t alive.” The tech explained

Erin takes the lead anyway “Okay so what’s Berger’s plan? Jay isn’t some regular captive. He’s a cop, he’ll fight back. He had to know we’d come around when he didn’t check in. Parts of Berger’s pattern are distinctly here except his choice of victim.

“I don’t know” Voight says, “But he has a head start and he’s just getting started with Jay.”

_ _ _

Berger stares over at his sleeping passenger, Jay truly is exquisite. The drugs should hold for a couple more hours, giving him more than enough time to put distance between him and the CPD without resistance from his newest acquisition. He had been rougher than he intended but Jay wasn’t just anyone and fought back in a way that he anticipated but was pleasantly titillated by.

He reached over and stroked one bruised cheek gently. Part of him hated that Jay drove him to that, made him so angry he bruised lovely skin but there was too much fun to be had for him to let that stop him. Jay wouldn’t give him an inch he didn’t have to back at the apartment; he’d never met that kind of resistance before. That kind of resistance could be challenging…and fun.

He scanned the homes as he drove, smiling when his eyes settled on what he was looking for.

The sun was already low and darkness was creeping up so she didn’t see him coming. She battled with her groceries in the snow oblivious of his approach. She never saw him coming. They never see him coming.

After all he always had a way with the older ladies.

_ _ _


	2. Chapter 2

**_Tuesday, February 10 th_ **

**_11:10am_ **

**_Chicago, IL_ **

Erin stares at Jay’s picture before adding it to their board. It feels strange, seeing notes and crime scene photos fanning out from Jay’s photo. On a normal day, Jay would be beside her. They’d banter endlessly while mapping out timelines to solve their case, but this time Jay is the case and it’s hard to wrap her head around that.

Hank and Alvin come up on either side of her, neither of them speak, but she knew this moment was coming.

“This is going to be hard and I need to know that your head is in this.” The thing about Hank is that he constantly moves like a blunt force object, even when the situation calls for delicacy. She resists the urge to lash out, this is a conversation he’d have with anyone on the team. Alvin squeezes her shoulder, giving a small smile when she looks at him.

“It’s Jay.”

“That’s exactly my point. I don’t know what the current status is between you two, but I need you focused. We know what Berger is capable of and what’s he’s doing to Jay, but I need to know you aren’t going to be knocked down by that.”

Erin takes a deep breath, turning to face Hank straight on. “He’s my partner and I don’t need you to question where my head is when it comes to him.”

Voight nods before taking his stance in the center of the room. “I know we’re all worried about Jay. We know Berger’s case too well and we all know what could be happening to him. That means we all need to focus on getting him back. We work this case like we would any other and we bring Jay home, I don’t care what that takes. Hank starts towards his office but stops and turns back to the team, “It doesn’t matter if Berger is breathing at the end of this.”

The team nods and each move to their desks to find their missing teammate. The click of expensive heels brings all their attention to the stairs as Lorraine Kemp walks into the bullpen just as confident as she was in the courtroom. She wastes no time waling straight up to Vought and jabbing one expertly manicured finger in Hank’s face

“Sergeant Voight, your continued harassment of my client is getting a bit tiresome. It’s even more

“Well strap in because I’m only gonna dig in more.” He points towards the interview rooms. Stopping briefly to pull Alvin close “I’ll go in first and then I want Erin to go at her.”

“You sure that’s a good idea? Lindsay can say what she wants be we both know the bond between partners is a strong thing, even without the messier bits.”

“She’s says she’s got is under control, let’s play that until she doesn’t. Have Ruzek and Atwater run the lawyer again. If Berger got out from under our scope she probably helped him. He either has Jay stashed somewhere or he’s travelling with a captive. Either way that takes a few ingredients he doesn’t have. And keep Burgess and Roman on the hook too, I need eyes on this.”

Alvin watches as Hank leads the lawyer to one of the interrogation rooms. He glances at Jay’s desk and sighs. He never considered himself a man of absolute faith, if God did exist, he was a exceptionally cruel bastard. Still, faith wouldn’t save Halstead, only their unit would.

_Just hang on kid, we’re coming for you_

_ _ _

_**12:00pm (Noon)** _

_**Carroll County, IL** _

The snow began to fall harder as Alice Baxter pulls into her driveway. Pulling on her fluffy hat she marched through the ankle-deep snow to her porch, leaving the door open so she could put her groceries inside. She took in the picturesque sight before getting back to it. It was beautiful, even if the falling snow obscured the view of even her closest neighbor. Taking Two bags at a time she unloads her grocery from the trunk up to the house. This was always the hardest part, Joe used to come by every weekend to help her with the shopping but now she was all alone. She’s making the last trip when she hears the question.

“Excuse me?”

She turns to see a man approaching her slowly. He stops a few feet away, his hands raised to show he means her no harm. “I’m sorry to bother you. It’s just…I’m a little turned around out here and my GPS is acting up. Can you tell me how to get back to the interstate?”

Any unease she feels melts away as she looks into those sincere brown eyes coupled with that earnest smile. He looks a little bit like her boy, her Joe, that she lost a couple of years back on a snowy day just like this one.

“Yes, of course. You’ll want to head a few miles down to Sevitt Road, make a left there and take it down to Lexie Lane and ride that for about ten minutes, then you’ll make a right on Pidget Road and you should see the signs for the interstate.”

The man looks perplexed.

“You know, I have a map in the house let me grab that for you.” Berger smiles at her offer. Never underestimate the very human inclination to be helpful. He follows her to the porch, smiling as he picks up the remaining bags. She smiles back, rummaging through the drawers in the hallway bureau. She retrieves a black marker, drawing lines to lead him where he needs. “Just sit those right by the recliner.”

“Of course.”, she didn’t see him reach for the vase on the table and raise it above his head…

_ _ _

_**12:30pm** _

_**Chicago, IL** _

Erin wedges herself between Voight and the smug looking lawyer even though she shares in his rage. She watched him go at the woman for almost an hour and there has not been a crack in that stony exterior. Berger definitely knows how to pick his allies. Lorraine stares at them, her face set to stone, not so far removed from the hardened lawyer that got Berger out of jail.

“Your client is an animal!” Voight yells

Her gray eyes harden “My client is an innocent man you’ve unfairly targeted because you can’t catch the real killer. Maybe you should focus your energy on that instead of harassing him.” Kemp flounces in her seat, clearly irritated with being kept here.

“Take a walk, Sarge.” Voight looks taken aback by Erin’s command, but he leaves the room all the same. Erin sits the folder on the desk between them, she opens it and scatters the photos from Jay’s apartment. “It is strange that you haven’t walked out of here. You know you’re not under arrest.”

Kemp smiles, “I do. But I’d be doing my client a disservice if I didn’t get the CPD to drop this vendetta against him.”

“It’s not just that. You care about him, maybe more than you should.”

Kemp's smile falters, just for a second, but Erin knows she’s found the crack in her armor. It’s not like she can’t relate, being more attached to Jay than she’s been willing to admit, her own cracks are probably showing.

“Let’s say that Berger is being unfairly targeted by the CPD, that’s all the more reason to help us find him and clear all this up.” Erin offers

“You mean help you frame him.”

Erin pushes back her annoyance. “It seems to me that we both want the same thing. We want to protect the people we care about.” She pulls one picture from the pile. “This is my partner; his name is Jay. I need to find him.”

The lawyer takes one of the pictures, staring at it for a long while before pushing it away. “He wouldn’t do something like that and as I said detective, I don’t know where he is. My job is to keep him out of jail, not monitor his movements.”

Atwater enters with a folder and hands it to Erin.

“It looks like after court on Friday you funded a pre-paid debit card with one thousand dollars. Around 8pm that night a man matching your client’s description used that card at a hardware store three blocks from my partner’s apartment. A coincidence possibly, but that puts him across town from his own apartment. He purchased, three screwdrivers, a hammer, four box cutters, rope, four rolls of duct tape and pliers. Why would he need any of those items?” 

Kemp looks unfazed, “His hobbies aren’t my business.”

“You’re his defense attorney. If this went to trial, you’d need to know why your client purchased these items.” Kevin chimes in

“And you’d need proof that he purchased them for ill intent, which you don’t have.”

Erin smiles “It’s interesting you say that because some of the very items he purchased were found in Detective Halstead’s apartment.” Erin sat out the pictures of the items they found. “Like the rope that’s covered in my partner’s blood. The same rope your client purchased.”

“Generic rope that anyone could buy.” Kemp shrugged again “I’m sure this detective has his fair share of enemies.”

“That’s one hell of a coincidence.” Kevin says

Erin laughs now “Hmmm maybe but I think it’s enough to call your conduct into question.”

Kemp smiles falters “How so?”

“It seems that Berger spent some time at your residence after the court on Friday. Then you gave him money and he used it to purchase items that were used in the torture and kidnapping of a Chicago police officer. That could definitely buy you some jail time and if not that it would cost you that cushy law firm job. I know how the elites hate even a whiff of impropriety.”

As if on cue Kevin chimes in, he may not be a detective, but he’s has the instincts “Maybe you’re right. Maybe the evidence that points to Berger is circumstantial. So, if we’re going to clear him then we need to find him. Maybe he can lead us to Jay.”

Erin listens as he lays it out for Kemp. Its just as well that she can take a minute. She can feel the worry welling up in her throat again. Revisiting how Jay suffered the entire weekend is hard enough and she can’t pretend she isn’t scared any moment they’ll get the call that Jay's body has been found. She pushes that down and focuses on Kev's voice

“Right now, I’m not interested in speculating on what Berger may or may not have done. Jay is important to this unit the same way Berger is important to you. We just need to find them and any info you give me might help. Or we can start working on all the way we can jam you up. You might not go to jail, but manicures are expensive.”

The lawyer’s eyes waiver a bit, self-preservation wins again. “After we left the courthouse, we had an early dinner at my place. He asked to borrow the money and my car, so I gave him a thousand dollars and my keys. He said that he had to get out of city but first he was going to see an old friend”

“What friend?”

“He didn’t say. He just said he was going to see a friend, then he’d get out of town for a few days.”

“Where was he going.”

“I suggested the cabin I inherited out in Fayville. It’s on a lake, a ways back from the road and secluded. I told him I would meet him up there in a couple of days if he wanted. He said he’d call if he wanted company.”

“I need the make and model of that Jeep and the address of the cabin"

Erin followed Kevin out of the room. Ruzek meets them in the hall “We already had the vehicle make and model. Burgess and Roman said that when they spoke to the garage attendant he stated Kemp came down with Berger, told him that her client would be borrowing the car. She signed a waiver the garage has so they aren’t liable for the car. Camera outside the garage caught Berger leaving in her jeep.”

“We need eyes on that Jeep.”

_ _ _

**_6:35pm_ **

**_Carroll County. IL_ **

Indistinct voices cut through the fog as he comes to. Jay blinks several times and at best all he gets is fuzzy faces and blurry body outlines. Berger’s cocktail of drugs left him feeling run down, nauseous and it takes him a moment to focus on the terrified brown eyes looking right at him from the other end of the table.

“Jay, this is Alice. She has graciously opened her home to us for the night.”

Jay takes in the intricate table settings, the dinner laid out as if everything about this situation is normal.

Berger cuts his steak slowly, circling the piece around in the juices on the plate before taking the bite with an exaggerated sigh of pleasure. “This is truly exquisite, Alice.”

The woman nods, her hands shaking even where they are laid flat on the table. Berger moves from his seat to come up behind Jay and place his hands on his shoulders “While you were asleep, Alice and I had a lovely dinner. We were just discussing what games we could play and after much debate we settled on a great one.” He cupped Jay’s face, roughly turning his head up to make him look at him. “I don’t want to hurt Alice, she’s been so hospitable. So, understand that what happens to her will depend on you.” He rips the tape from Jay’s mouth.

“You don’t have to hurt her.” It feels like a cruel joke, but every instinct is screaming that he has to protect this woman.

“Again, that depends on you and how well you perform.”

Jay looks into the man’s eyes and his stomach rolls. It’s not sex with a man that he finds disgusting, its Berger. The idea of those hands on him in a twisted parody of intimacy is what makes him sick, but he wills himself to focus.

Berger uncuffs him from the chair, smiling while he situates it so that Jay’s hands are now cuffed in front of him. He pulls Jay along, grabbing Alice from her seat and leads them both to the living room. He shoves Alice, albeit gently, onto the sofa.

“Now Alice you’re the audience and our beautiful Detective Halstead is going to make this worth the price of admission. I want you to keep an open mind but be honest in your critique. He slaps Jay’s face gently, “After all, the detective is new to this game.”

Alice whimpers but nods.

“You can’t hurt her.”

“I said that depends on you.” Berger smiles “She’s going to watch and rate your performance. So, for her sake you better make this good.”

“Give me you word and I’ll do anything you want.”

Berger rolls his eyes, “Fine. I give you my word that I will not kill Alice.”

He snatches Jay up and slams him against the wall, knocking the breath from his lungs. Smiling, he presses in and slipping a knee between his legs.

“My hands…”

Berger chuckles “Trust is built, Jay” He slips a hand beneath Jay’s t-shirt. Reveling in the tremble he feels when his fingers touch skin. “Kiss me. Mean it.”

Jay takes one last look at Alice and does as he’s told.

_ _ _

**_Wednesday February 11 th_ **

**_7:11am_ **

**_Carroll County, IL_ **

Jay does his best to get more comfortable but it’s hard to tell which part of him aches the most. Somewhere between everything else Berger had slammed him face first into a wall and though he didn’t know exactly how long he’d been out he could see light in the horizon. Even the slightest movement pull at the slashes across his stomach. By the time Berger brought the box cutters into the game he’d already been on the verge of passing out. 

Behind him he could hear Berger speaking softly and he prayed Alice was alright. Everything he’d done…let be done to him was to ensure she survived.

He turns over slowly, ignoring the agony that sings up the lacerations on his arms; at some point Berger cuffed his hands behind his back. That psycho must have drugged him too because he’s finding it hard to get the words in his mind to his lips.

“You promised.” He whispers, his throat raw from where Berger has strangled him until he lost consciousness.

Berger doesn’t look back at him but the way his head moves shows he heard Jay speak. He returns his attention to Alice.

“This is the key to your cuffs. When you wake up, you can call whomever you like, I don’t care if it’s the police. You can tell them exactly what happened here.” Now he does turn to look at Jay “As a matter of fact, when you call the police tell them you need to speak with Sergeant Hank Voight of the Chicago PD. You make sure you tell him everything. Will you do that for me, Alice?”

Alice nods, her breath coming out in shudders.

“Now Alice I need you to do exactly what I ask. I have no intention of coming back here but I will if I find out you deviated from my instructions.”

“I understand and I will. Only Hank Voight.”

“Very good.” Berger grabs the hammer from the floor and with a violent swing brings it to Alice's left cheek. She goes down instantly, landing hard on the ornate rug beneath their feet.

Berger strolls over and kneels beside Jay. Jay glares up at him defiantly, but he can’t keep the shake out of his voice “Baiting Hank Voight is good way to end up with a bullet in your head.”

Berger caresses the bruise on his cheek “I’m sure it is but he’ll have to catch us first.” He places a soft kiss to Jay’s temple “I’m more excited for how much fun we’ll have in the meantime.” With that he drags Jay to his feet and they make their way to the garage and into Alice’s SUV.

Berger whistles a happy tune as he backs down the driveway and pulls off down the idyllic snow-covered street just as the sun breaks over the trees.

_ _ _

**_Wednesday February 11 th _ **

**_8:10am_ **

**_Chicago, IL_ **

Antonio is on his third cup of coffee then Erin comes into the breakroom. She in yesterday’s clothes and her hair is sleep tussled. She nods a good morning, grabbing a mug off the wall with a yarn.

“How many hours did you get?”

“Four at best. That couch isn’t exactly comfortable, and my brain was too loud. How about you?”

“Same. Took me longer to fall asleep. I keep seeing those photos in my head. I can’t tell you how many times I got up and checked on Eva and Diego.”

“I see Jay every time I close my eyes. Its driving me crazy that we don’t have any leads.” She slumps against the counter, willing herself not to cry. She wasn’t to scream, why does every good in her life get taken away? Suddenly she’s pulled in close but instead of fighting it she lets herself sink into Antonio’s warm hug. “I can’t lose him, Antonio. I can’t lose him too.” She doesn’t hold back her tears; she knows he’ll never tell.

Antonio hugs her tighter and she’ll be damned if it’s not the best thing. “We’re gonna find him.”

She wonders if he needs to believe that as much as she does.

“Why don’t you head home, grab a shower. I’ll man the search. Berger is a cockroach but he too goddamn smug to hide for long.”

She wipes her face quickly, “Thanks Antonio”

She grabs her jacket and heads for the stairs just as Kevin, Adam and Al are coming up.

“You okay kid?”

She gives Al a smile. “I’m headed home to grab a shower and change. I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Call me if anything happens.”

“Of course.” Kevin says

As promised, she walks back into the district less than two hours later and feeling steadier that she did earlier. She’s about to shake out of her coat when Atwater jumps out of his seat. Erin can here the person on the other end talking quickly. Atwater hangs up and for the first time in forever she feels a small spark of hope.

“Sarge!” Voight rushes from his office and with everyone else they gather around Kevin’s desk “That was the Carroll County Sheriff. He said they have a woman being taken to the hospital now. She’s said she was help captive by a man fitting Berger’s description and that she will only speak to Sergeant Hank Voight of the CPD.”

“We roll out now!”

“Carroll County is in the opposite direction of the Kemp’s cabin.” Ruzek says

Kevin gives him a look “Well, we didn’t really expect him to head there. He’s too smart for that.”

“This county is two hours out of the city, why the hell is he all the way out there?” Ruzek askes as they all climb into their respective cars. Erin climbs into the car with Hank and Al while Antonio takes the wheel of another with Kev and Adam in tow.

“No idea but we’re taking this lead and going with it.”

When they reach Carroll County Erin is pretty sure her life flashed before her eyes several times. Hank knocked forty minutes off their travel time and Erin releases the breath she was holding when they arrive at a ranch style home at the end of snow-covered street. Kemp's jeep is parked at the curb but with different plates. Berger must have known Kemp would give him up.

There are several police vehicles parked along the curb and several deputies stand around outside.

Hank shakes hands with a man Erin takes to be the sheriff.

“I’m Sheriff Montrose Wynn. I kept my deputies out like you asked. Alice is over at the county hospital. She took a pretty bad blow to the head but other than that she said your man didn’t hurt her.”

Hank nods and he and the team follow the sheriff into the house. The scene reminds her of Jay’s apartment and many of Berger’s other crime scenes. Bloods on the walls and tools of torture, makeshift and store-purchased are strewn about.

“Antonio, you, Adam and Kevin secure this. Bag any evidence you can and see if there’s something to show where Berger might be headed. Al, Erin and I will head over to the hospital.”

They follow behind the sheriff’s car to the hospital, thankfully only ten minutes from the Baxter house. When they arrive a nurse quickly leads them to a more secluded selection of rooms. Alice Baxter sits, staring out the window at the snow-covered courtyard.

The sheriff taps her shoulder and gently pulls her in for a tight high.

“I’m fine Monty. All this fuss isn’t really necessary. He didn’t hurt me.”

“He hit you with a hammer, ma'am. No harm in having you checked out.” Alvin guides her back to her bed.

Erin takes in the women’s injuries. The bruises around her wrists from the cuffs and the large bruise marring the left side of her face.

“I’m Sergeant Voight.”

Alice’s eyes light up, “Yes. He said I was to speak to you directly.”

“I’m so sorry Mrs. Baxter, I’m sure you’re eager to put this behind you but if you could just tell me what happened.” Erin says softly.

“I haven’t. Just before he hit me, he said I had to tell you, only you, exactly what happened.” Her fingers bunched up her hospital gown while she spoke. “I was coming in from the market, I got an early start because they said the snow might be heavier than expected. He came up while I was taking my groceries inside. He said he needed directions to the interstate because his GPS wasn’t working. These phones are so iffy sometimes. He seemed perfectly harmless. He reminded me of Joe.”

“Oh Alice.” The sheriff gave one of her hands a firm squeeze.

“Joe’s her son. He passed a couple of year ago. Car accident.”

“I suppose that’s why I wasn’t afraid of him. I told him I had a map that would help him find his way.”

“Is this him?” Erin holds out her phone with the picture of Berger

“Yes. That’s him. Doesn’t he look like Joe, Monty?” Her eyes are so hopeful when she looks to the sheriff

“You let him into the house?” Hank pulls her back to the present.

“Oh no. He hung back, even grabbed the last two bags of groceries from the trunk for me. He stopped right on the porch while I grabbed the map from the bureau right in the hall. All I saw was movement out of the corner of my eye and that was that.” She touches the back of her head, winces when she finds a tender spot. “When I came to, I was still on the floor and there was another man. He was tied up like I was but he wasn’t awake.”

“What did Berger say he wanted?”

“First he offered me some aspirin then he asked me to make dinner for him since he was my guest. He was so nice but it made me feel uncomfortable. While I cooked, he brought the other man into the dining room and cuffed him to one of the chairs.”

“He didn’t hurt you at all.”

“He was preoccupied with the young man, he kept touching him. He didn’t wake up until we were almost done with dinner and then…”

Erin steeled herself as Alice took a sharp breath. “He took us into the living room and said that Jay, that was the young man’s name, was going to play a game. He said if Jay performed well then he wouldn’t hurt me.” The tears come now. “The things he did to him…he made me watch. I should have done something. Maybe the two of us could have taken him…”

Erin took her hand, “No. This isn’t your fault. You did exactly what you were supposed to do.”

“Right before he started to hurt him Jay told me everything would be alright. He said he wouldn’t let that man hurt me. At first, I didn’t understand but once the game started, I realized he was going to let him do whatever he wanted. Every time Jay fought back that man would hurt him more and he was getting off on it. God, why didn’t I help him?!”

Monty moves and pulls her in again, Al moves into her line of sight for reassurance “It’s not your fault, Alice. That young man is a detective, one of the best I’ve ever known and his focus was on keeping you alive. Police officers are supposed to the serve and protect and it sounds like that’s exactly what Detective Halstead did.”

Alice shakes her head in agreement “I just…please find him. You have to help him.”

“Did he give any clues to where they were headed?”

“All I remember is that he knocked me out a little before the sun came up. It was already getting light outside.”

Hank nods “Okay Alice, we’re gonna let you get some rest now.”

Alice grabs Hank's arm “Please you have to find that young man. He needs you.”

With those pleas they depart with Sheriff Monty in tow.

“The jeep was parked at the curb but the plates didn’t match. And with all the snow my guys didn’t get out like they normally would. They would have noticed it parked there even if the plates didn’t pop.”

“People don’t park at the curb?” Erin asked

“Only time you see that is during the holidays when folks have lots of family visiting. Any other time folks use their driveways, it keeps the roads clear.”

“So he leaves the jeep and takes Alice’s car, what’s the make and model.”

“It’s a Black SUV, Tahoe I believe. I think it’s about three years old. Her son Joe got it for her and she didn’t have it that long before he passed. Plates are Delta, Bravo, l4595”

“He'll have switched plates by now.”

“Probably but we still fan out in every direction. If we have to stop every Tahoe on the road then we do it.”

“You sure that’s a good idea? He feels cornered he could kill Jay.” Al says

“He wants us to chase him, otherwise he would have killed Alice. He wants us to play his game and the longer we play the longer Jay stays alive.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long gap in posting. December was hectic with work and the holidays and spilled over into January on the work end. I'm back now with a new chapter. I want to thank everyone for the kudos and comments.

**_Wednesday, February 11th_ **

**_Along the Interstate_ **

**_11:10 am_ **

Dreams mix with memories as Jay fought against the pull of the drugs. Pushed against the blackness that kept pulling him under, deeper and deeper into the abyss of unconsciousness. Berger had given him just enough to keep him subdued. He felt like he was floating, swaying where he laid across the backseat of Alice’s SUV headed to who knew where for who knew what. He tried to remember how he got here. Everything after Berger broke into his apartment is hazy and he finds himself drifting back to his interrogation of Berger. If only he had realized that Berger had laid out the plans he had in mind.

_The room had been quiet as neither of them spoke. Jay studied the man across from him while Berger sat as cool and cold as ever, with a self-satisfied smirk pulling at his lips. In that moment Jay felt something go through him. That last time he’d felt that chill was before Lonnie Rodiger killed Ben. The icy stare of someone who was doing exactly what he wanted and dared you to try and stop him. Berger had that same cold look in his eye too: a look he hid with charm, eloquent speech and quick wit._

_Have you ever taken someone apart, Detective?_

_Jay’s folded his arms and leaned forward “I don’t think I understand the question.”_

_“You’ve had some sort of special training. Marines? No, you strike me an Army guy, they have a special look about them. Marines always look like meatheads to me. The way you took me down speaks to some sort of extra tactical training.”_

_Jay sighed “Rangers. I was in Afghanistan.”_

_Berger smiled at that “So I’m sure you had to take people apart before?”_

_“Can’t say that I have.”_

_“No, you won’t say that you have. No one wants to admit to the ugly parts of themselves that the military brings out. Especially not if they enjoyed it.”_

_“You spent time breaking people down?”_

_“Most don’t have the stomach for it. I never had that issue; the military loved my skills. Get someone in a chair, get at their weaknesses and it’s only a matter of time before they come apart beneath your hands.”_

_Jay smiled “You were a combat medic for five years, straight out of a general surgery residency. Then you disappear for another few years only to resurface in Chicago. So, where were you?”_

_“Honing my skills. It’s easy to get in touch with our most primal selves under the right conditions. Dig deep, you’ll recognize that beast in you.”_

_“I’ve run into him now and again.” Jay said thinking of moments where everything was led by rage and pain rather than any plan he made with a clear head._

_“But you still think about it as an abstract being instead of it being part of who you are. Like I said, most don’t have the stomach for it. Whomever you’re looking for definitely has the stomach for this work.”_

_Jay sits back. He knows Berger is just toying with him now. They sit in silence for a moment before Berger’s head cocks to the side “You have beautiful eyes, Detective. I love blue eyes, yours for instance, in that bright and bold blue. Did you know people with blue eyes have a completely colorless stroma? That is part of the tissue that forms the eye. There is no pigment at all. This means that all the light that enters is scattered back into the atmosphere making your eyes that beautiful blue.”_

_“I did not know that. I do know that we’re not here to discuss my eye color.”_

_The door opens and Voight comes in. “Halstead, can you give me a moment alone with Dr. Berger.” Jay stands and exits the room to find Erin staring at him. He can’t quite make out the look on her face. At the time the look on Voight face hadn’t registered the danger that he could clearly see._

…the slamming of a door is what brings him back to partial wakefulness. Berger smiles as he moves Jay into a sitting position and waves a bottle of water in front of his face.

“You must be thirsty.” Jay nods and Berger gently removes the tape. His body perks as soon as the water hits his system. Between the drugs and the liquor Berger insists on forcing down his throat water feels and tastes like heaven.

He lets Jay finish the bottle, tossing it aside once finished, and placing a new strip of tape across his mouth. “Aww, I’m sorry. I know how hard the drugs are on your system. We should get some food in you too.” Berger cups his face gently. Jay takes a moment to look around. Wherever they are its deserted and surrounded by trees, definitely no place to run especially with no sense of what direction might bring him to safety.

Berger opens the car door, letting in a cold blustery wind, it hits and Jay shivers. There’s fresh snow on the ground, and he can only hope that means they are still somewhere in Illinois. Idly he wonders if the team has found Alice, did the poor woman survive being pummeled over the head like that? Was there anything left behind that they could trace? He remembered that Berger had stolen Alice’s car, but he’s smart, he would have already switched the plates.

“Once we get to our next stop, I’ll clean you up a bit and we’ll take care of those cuts.” He cups Jay’s face again and it’s so tender that for a second Jay forgets that same touch put him here in the first place. A sharp pinch in his neck pulls him back and he whimpers.

“Shhhh, hush now. It’s just a little dose this time. Just to keep you well behaved.” He waited, delighted with the mere seconds it took for Jays eyes to glaze over. With his toy subdued he climbed back into to the driver’s seat and sped back to the interstate.

The roads were clear, most electing to stay indoors due to the snowfall. It created a pretty picture that matched his mood, he had all he needed right here.

He flips the radio on, opting for the smooth jazz for the subdued. He needed to dump this ride soon; no doubt Voight has received his message by now. Berger glances back at Jay, his _little bird_ , something for him to unmake and then remake if time allowed. Could he get Jay to kill for him? With him? He would need to go bolder at their next stop, to make Voight and the rest of them understand that control was all his.

The sergeant hadn’t known at the time when he put them in room together, but he was the one that sealed Jay’s fate. He’d given him the challenge he’d been waiting for. The others had been fun, practice runs really, just like his projects overseas. The army let him out to play but there was always someone to stop him from going too far. Or once they got the information the game just stopped, and he had to find other outlets then. He switched up tactics of course, developing different signatures for his games off the base and they never knew. He would hear the soldiers whisper about the gruesome discoveries they made. He could hear the unease in their voices, but they never suspected him and as long as he pulled victims from the local civilian pool, they never seemed to care about the possible killer amongst them.

A whimper from the backseat pulls him back to the present, Jay tosses fitfully in his drug-induced sleep, dreaming of war or maybe the last couple of days, he doesn’t really know. He just knows sounds coming from the backseat is the best kind of music.

_ _ _

**_Wednesday, February 11th_ **

**_Madison County, IL_ **

**_4:22pm_ **

Berger pulls into the parking lot of the Innkeeper Motel just off the I-55 and smiles to himself. Putting distance between his _little bird_ and Voight put him in the mood to celebrate. Still smiling and stretching, he walked over to the office, tapping the sign above the door with this hand. The older man behind the counter tipped his hat, standing from a rickety barstool.

“Afternoon”

“Single or double?” The older man asked gruffly.

“A single and if possible, one of the rooms overlooking the water out back? Also do you have anything with a little kitchenette?”

“That’s a first. Most folks hate being back there, call it too quiet.”

“I like quiet.”

“Just the one night?”

“Better make it two. I’m headed cross country so maybe I’ll catch up on some sleep. Also do you happen to know where I can find a hardware store around here?”

“Walmart is about ten minutes away, its open 24 hours. Any place else is too far and probably closed today on account of the snow.”

He spies the cameras as he’s leaving. There’s one above the office looking down on all rooms on the front side, no doubt it would be the same in the back and there is another facing the parking lot. Not that it matters, he and Jay will be long gone from here by the time any footage will useful. Pulling the car around, he swiftly parks and opens the door to the room. The air is stale but that wouldn’t matter once they were settled, plus it was only for two days at most and they’d be preoccupied.

Thankful for the encroaching darkness that came early with winter, he scoops Jay from the backseat and deposits him on the bed gently. Dragging Jay’s arms above his head, he maneuvers the cuffs to loop around one of the ornate wood columns. “Headboards made for handcuffs”, he slaps Jay’s cheek gently, but it did nothing to rouse him.

He sat back for a moment, taking all of Jay in. His fingers trailed leisurely over the cut running from his hairline to his forehead, then the gash above his left eye. He’d done his best not to mark that pretty face. In the beginning hours of their adventure, Jay had been…resistant. So much so that he’d been pushed to use more force than he liked. Jay wasn’t like the others; he couldn’t con his way into building trust between them. Jay would have to be unmade, brutally and then remade if time allowed.

Berger move downs, over the bruises around Jay’s his neck; strangulation was truly an art form. What other method let you see their terror and know that you had all the power. The power to end their life or almost end it, over and over again; nothing was more exhilarating than that. He slipped one hand under Jay’s blood-stained t-shirt, felt the flakes of dried blood beneath his palm. He lifted the shirt and examined the cuts he had made earlier. Some would fade away, but others would scar. A memento to be with Jay always. He started to venture lower but thought better of it. If those deeper wounds got infected Jay would leave him before their adventure was over, before he decided to let him go, figuratively speaking. Checking the restraints and slipping a new piece of tape over Jay’s mouth, he kissed him on head softly then he grabbed the keys to make his supply run.

The pond behind the motel had frozen over; with the backdrop of the setting sun created quiet the picturesque view.

Walmart was surprisingly empty for late afternoon but all the better. The fact that it got dark by now helped, most people tended to bunker down indoors during the winter. Without the noise of others, he could focus on what he needed for the next game. He spied some scissors and twine, maybe some nails if he was feeling frisky. He moved to the pharmacy next, gathering the various items to stitch up Jay’s wounds. Some alcohol, peroxide, plenty of bandages and four suture kits.

“Someone’s accident prone.” A short pudgy woman with a blonde bob smiled at him. She laughed at her own joke and he found himself laughing as well.

“I work with my hands. I tend to get all sorts of cuts and bruises but what’s a little blood when you’re making art.

The woman laughs “My husband is a carpenter by trade. You wouldn’t believe how many bandages we go through a month, but he loves it, so I don’t fuss.” She peers into his basket “Good choice on the Alcott bandages. They absorb the best and they don’t fray so you don’t have to change them as often.” He smiled his biggest smile, dropping more of the bandages in his basket “Thank you for the tip.” The woman smiled brightly and went on her way.

The grocery section leaves much to be desired, but he can’t expect the same gourmet choices that can be found in Chicago. Still, he imagines he can whip up something with the ingredients available. He’ll have to make sure their next destination and hosts are hospitable as Alice.

The drive back to the room is uneventful. He even tips his hat to one to the local police as they sit at the red light. When he returns to the room, he’s greeted by blue eyes staring up at him in a haze.

“There’s my little bird.” He perches himself on the edge of the bed. Jay shifts beneath his gaze making the cuffs clink against wood, wincing when the metal dig into his skin. He grabs the bag of supplies and begins to lay his items out on the bed, starting with the ointments and bandages. He lines them up with a smile that is more frightening than anything pulling at his lips. He takes out a few items of clothing too seemingly please with himself and his choices. He sits a second bag on the bed but doesn’t reveal the contents, “These goodies are for later.”

“We’re going to take care of those cuts but first we should get you cleaned up. Then we’ll have a nice dinner.” He grabs his kit from the bedside table. Jay whimpers and tugs at the cuffs again “Hush now. This is just to keep you well behaved. It’s not time to sleep just yet.” Jay barely feels the needle in his arm and it only takes a few seconds for that familiar floating feeling to wash over him. “I have such a fun evening planned for us.”

Berger pulls him to his feet, peeling Jay’s bloodied and tattered clothing off as agonizingly slow as he can, tossing them in a corner as he goes. Guiding Jay to the bathroom, he leaves him leaning against the door while he sets the water to the right temperature. This should feel like another indignity but even the sting of the hot water on the lacerations across his abdomen can’t overpower the wonderful feeling of the warm water on his skin. Berger grabs his chin, tilting his head forward and Jay can only watch numbly as the bloody water washes down the drain. Berger massages the back of his neck and for a moment Jay forgets that he is trapped with the man that brutalized him for who knows how many days. Suddenly Berger jerks his head back, his lips pressed against his ear “To think it could be like this more often if you learned how to behave.”

Jay closes his eyes; tuning Berger out and just feeling the warm water rushing over his skin. With just that sensation and the help of the drugs he feels like he could drop to sleep standing up. His vision goes blurry for a moment and when he blinks, he’s sitting on the edge of the bed fully clothed, as is Berger. He packs their bloodied clothing into a trash bag and tosses it into a corner. Berger guides him to the small table by the window, making sure to handcuff Jay to the radiator beside it before drawing the blinds back. In the darkness there is nothing to see except the distant light of people too far away to help.

Berger hums a tune as he finely chops vegetables, looking up every now and again to make sure Jay is still with him.

“I’m going to apologize in advance for the lack of quality with our meal. The materials at my disposal were only satisfactory. Next time we stop I’ll take that into consideration. Alice made such a fine meal for us”

Jay bristles at that. No one else needs to get hurt, if he can keep Berger’s attention on him”

“It’s fine.” The words don’t come easy. Again, trying to claw his way from the filmy haze of the constant drugs is exhausting.

A significant amount of time must pass because when he comes back to himself Berger is setting a bowl in front of him. It’s smells heavenly and his mouth waters just a bit. “I can’t.” He gestures to his cuffed hand.

“Not yet.” Berger scoots his chair forward until their knees brush. “Remember, trust is earned.” He blows on the spoonful, fixing Jay with an annoyed glare when he doesn’t immediately respond. Jay takes a deep breath, trying to remember what’s important here. He won’t get far with nothing but drugs in his system. Begrudgingly he takes the spoonful after spoonful, reserving his disgust every time Berger wipes his face and mouth a little too intimately.

With their meal finished and Jay feels detached as Berger tends to the cuts around his wrists. He’s meticulous in his application of the ointment, explaining the ingredients that will promote healing even if he’ll wear the scars permanently. Jay tunes him out only coming back to himself when Berger pushes him to lie back on the bed, cuffing him to the headboard and running his fingers over the bandages around Jay’s wrist.

“I would give you the benefit of the doubt, but we just aren’t there yet.” He kisses Jay’s forehead softly.

Rummaging through his bag of goodies Berger brandished a hunting knife. Its newness gleamed in the yellowish lamp light of the room. He pressed the blade to Jay throat, drawing a small whimper that spoke of the fear of things to come. He leaned in close, pressing the knife down just enough to be shy of breaking the skin.

“It’s been a long day but tomorrow you and this beauty…” he kissed the knife “…will become better acquainted.”

Jay closed his eyes, his body relaxing when Berger and his knife pulled away.

As he slipped into a fitful sleep his sluggish mind tried to think of all the conceivable way he could escape before Berger and his new toy heaped another round of torture on him.

_ _ _

**_Wednesday, February 11th_ **

**_Carroll County, IL_ **

**_10:03 pm_ **

Voight sighed and buried his face in his hands. With the help of state police, they had fanned out in every direction but had still come up empty. He hated this, he hated having to wait until Berger wrought more carnage before they got another lead. Patience was never one of his strongest qualities and with one of his own in danger.

He stood in the doorway of the office, looking at his team as they scrambled to find Jay. He focused on Erin, though she remained stoic as ever he could see the moments that her walls fell. When her eye would glaze over and she would allow herself to be consumed, even if only for a second, with the reality of the situation. In the last few hours, he too would fall to those feelings. Jay was built as tough as they come but he hated even the thought of someone suffering because of him. Through Alice, they had already that Berger discovered that weakness, exploited it, and likely would again before this was all over.

“Excuse me, Sergeant Vought?”

The deputy slipped several key cards into his hands “The department is putting you up until we get a lead, though I don’t imagine any of your team will be doing much sleeping tonight.”

“I appreciate that.”

“This guy, this Berger, is he as bad as they say?”

“Worse.”

_ _ _

**_Thursday, February 12th_ **

**_Madison County, IL_ **

**_3:34am_ **

Jay awoke alone; soft voices emitted from the tv and the clock on the bedside table read “3:34am”. He rolled over slowly with a groan. Even with the expert patching, Berger did nothing about the pain from the various wounds he inflicted. Jay’s head was pounding, and each movement only seemed to make the pain worse. The next thing he notice was the lack of warmth; Berger was nowhere to be found. For a moment he thought that perhaps the psycho has left him here to be found but that felt too much like wishful thinking.

He pulled at the cuffs, ignoring the pain radiating from his wrists. If escape was a possibility, then he needed every precious second. He pulled again and again, hoping the feel of the wood giving wasn’t in his head. When it finally gives tears spring into his eyes, but he pushes that down, rolling off the bed onto shaky legs. The room spins and he grabs the edge of the nearest table to steady himself. Still no Berger and Jay takes that as a sign that this is his moment.

He searches frantically for a phone, not finding one he limps to the door, vision swimming and body aching with each step. He just needs to find people and a phone. There just a little bit of light in the horizon, just enough to illuminate how desolate the area is. The motel sits just off a pond and while he’s sure it’s quite a soothing sight, right now it makes his heart drop. But this is a motel, Berger had to check in.

Gritting his teeth against the pain in his right ankle, Jay limped as fast as he could around the building, breathing a sigh of temporary relief when he saw the office sign. Just as he gets to the door a truck pulls up and out stumble two happy people. The woman stops short, her laugh turning to gasp.

“Are you okay?” the woman approached him cautiously, concerns etched across her face.

“CHRIST!”

“911…Call 911.” Jay rasps

“Geri, get Benny” The man says kneeling beside Jay where he’s slid down the wall. The woman knocks frantically on the office door. The man pulls off his coat and drapes it over Jay, he can smell the liquor on the man’s breath, but his grey eyes are sharp and sober. “Who did this to you?”

Jay doesn’t have the strength to answer. He can hear Geri banging on the door but if she gets an answer he doesn’t know.

There is quick movement over the man’s shoulder and Jay feels something warm splash across his face. Geri screams just before there is a loud pop. Jay hears another pop as he tries, weakly, to push the dead weight of the man off him.

“Well, this is a mess.” Berger kneels, grabbing one of Jay’s arms.

"No!" He shouts, wrenching his arms out of Berger’s grip and pulling back, managing to free himself from the man's grasp even though Berger is standing between him and freedom. "No! I'm not going with you!"

There is a shocking silence in the moment following, broken only when a small whimper escapes Jay against his will. The noise, unexpected as it is, is enough to drag him back out of the possibilities of rescue and into the present moment.

He pushes at the body on top of him but can only get it partway off. A mix of the adrenaline crash, days of torture, and the disappointment at his failed escape attempt finally catching up to him, weakening his limbs and draining any reserves of strength. There are hands helping him a moment later, tugging the body of that poor samaritan off, but he doesn't want them, and he doesn't want the needy, cloying words murmured in his ear.

"I've got you, you're alright. Don't run, you can't run..."

Jay yelps out a choked "No!" and tries to pull away from the man scooping him up in his arms, trying to crawl away. “I’m not going with you.”

“Yes, you are.” Berger says softly. There is a sharp pain across the back of his skull and Jay knows no more.

_ _ _

**_Thursday, February 12 th _ **

**_Madison County, IL_ **

**_1:22pm_ **

Voight kneels over the two bodies and shakes his head. Death, no matter how much of it he saw, still left a bitter taste in his mouth. He supposed the moment he stopped feeling that would be the day he truly stopped being human. When he and Alvin arrived, it had been to chaos. Small towns didn’t see homicides like this and the news of three dead bodies had attracted quite the crowd. He could only hope this wasn’t a waste of precious time.

“This is a bit out of your jurisdiction.” A Deputy Dunham knelt beside him, looking soberly over the bodies.

“It’s possible the animal that did this is the same one that abducted on of my guys.” Voight spoke as Alvin scanned the surroundings.

Alvin could see this being the perfect place for Berger. Right off the highway but obscure and desolate enough that he could come and go with detection.

“This is Geri O’Terry and Lonnie Sullivan, both are local. Looks like the just came upon whatever was happening here at the wrong time.”

“Where’s your boss?”

Dunham pulled off his hat “Chief Sullivan is taking a moment.”

“Sullivan? Any relation to the victim?” Olinsky asks.

Dunham nods “His younger brother.” He says low as the living Sullivan approached them. He’s composed himself but the color has yet to return to his face. Voight covers the body back up quickly. “Hey Chief, this is Sergeant Hank Voight and Detective Alvin Olinsky, they think the bastard that did this might be someone their chasing.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Alvin shakes the man’s hand.

“Who is it?” Sullivan can’t take his eyes off the wrapped-up body of his brother. “Who did this?”

“If it’s who we think, his name is Edward Berger. He abducted one of my detectives in Chicago and has been holding him hostage. We were investigating Berger for several homicides.”

Alvin gestured to the cameras above “Any chance those were working?”

Dunham leads them to the manager’s office, mindful of the body of Benjamin Ives. “That’s the manager. Opened the door and didn’t even know what hit him.” Dunham leads them to a small room where one of the deputies is seated as an array of monitors.”

“It’s pretty run of the mill stuff. Tapes reset and record over anything older than 48 hours.” The other deputy explains.

Alvin sends out a silent prayer as he watches Jay stumble towards the office, falling at the feet of two good people who had their lives stolen. He watches as Berger executes O’Terry and Sullivan on camera. The poor manager opens the door just in time to get a bullet point blank, then Berger turns his attention to Jay, who is trying in vain to pull himself from under Sullivan’s dead weight. His movements are sloppy, disjointed, likely a lingering effect of the drugs.

“I went back a few hours; cameras have Berger pulling in at 4:22pm.” They watch the footage from earlier that day as Berger slings Jay over his shoulder and into the room. “They had one of the rooms around back, room 130. Berger leaves after about 10 minutes after he gets your man in the room. Then he’s back in an hour or so.”

Voight looks at Alvin who nods. “Where’s the room?”

Dunham follows him out of the office “I’ll show you.”

Another woman deputy smiles at them as they enter. She’s watching someone from their crime scene department dust a broken headboard for prints. “We found a few Walmart bags in the room, timestamp on the receipt says 5:22pm. So, he picked up all kinds of bandages but then he also picked up a bunch of hardware” She gestures to the various knives and sharp objects on the small table, “There’s no blood or signs he got a chance to use any of it. Most of it is still in the packaging.” 

“Small mercy, I suppose.” Alvin looks over the room. It seems like Berger was ready to hunker down here for at least a couple of days.

“We found a bag of bloody clothes, no ide who they belong to. Blood-stained towel and washcloths in there too.

“He cleaned up.” Dunham says.

“Game is no fun if your hostage bleeds to death.”

Voight and Sullivan join them a few minutes later. “Camera got a good shot of the SUV Berger left in. He ditched Alice’s about 20 minutes from here and stole a gold 2016 Ford Explorer, that owner reported the car stolen about five hours ago.”

Another deputy steps in with his notepad, “It was the only theft reported in the last 24 hours and since you said that part of his play book, we figured it was as safe bet this was your guy.”

Vought takes in the room. He can’t let himself get bogged down in what might have transpired in this room. Berger had time to put more distance between them and that will only mean worse for Jay, “Alright we need to get in touch with state police. Jay’s pissed him off and he just killed three people. He’s got to know we have the Illinois borders covered so he’s not leaving the state.”

Sullivan nods along. “Take Dunham with you, the more information we can get out on this bastard the faster you can catch him.”

_ _ _

**_Thursday February 12 th _ **

**_2:32pm_ **

Jay curls in as another kick to the ribs steals what little air he was about to take in. In his hazy awareness he can hear Berger yelling but another kick steals the attention he might give to the words. Several more blows come before Berger slumps down against a nearby wall.

“You killed two people today, Jay.” He clicks his tongue, sounding like a disappointed parent reprimanding a child. “What are we going to do about that?”

Jay braces himself, forehead pressed against the cold ground as he takes a deep calming breath. The noise that escapes him is completely unexpected. It’s not a whine, or a whimper or even a sob it sounds slightly crazed, but he knows that sound…it’s a laugh.

“Even if I did everything you said you still would have killed them.”

Berger stands, stalking towards him with a smile as fake as his benevolence. He grabs Jay by the hair, jerking him upright and wedging the gun under his chin.

“It’s always someone else’s fault. That’s how the game works right? I try to escape, people die and that’s on me, right?” He laughs again, even as Berger’s fingers tighten in his hair; he laughs. “You’re just like all the rest.”

The fake smile falters and the look that comes across Berger’s face is one Jay can’t quite places. If he had to guess he might say rage. Berger is good as masking his feelings, but he can’t change the way his eyes hold the same sort of look as they did when he shot those three souls at the motel.

“Just like every other murdering asshole I’ve ever arrested. You’re not special, no matt how much you tell yourself you are.”

Berger wraps his hand around Jay’s throat “We’ll see about that.”


End file.
